Hat-forming machine.



N0. 66!,648. Patentd Nov. I3, I900. 13. H. L. scnoonmxsa & q. A. CANFIELD.

HAT FORMING-MACHINE. (Applicaltion filed. Jan. 30, 1900. (No Model.) 2 Sheds-Sheet l.

m: mums PETERS co. wnaraumu, WASNINGTON, w c.

No. 66I,648. Patented Nov. l3, I900.- G. H. L. SCHDONMAKER & J. A. CANFIEL D.

HAT FORMING MACHINE.

(Application filed Jan. 30, 1960.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

111 I L k I INVENTORS m RMEY WITNES SES ofc-uwu, WASKINGTON n c UNITED STATES GEORGE H. L. SCHOONMAKER AND JOHN A. CANFIELD,

CONNECTICUT.

PATENT CFFICE.

or DANBURY,

HAT-FORMING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,648, dated November 13, 1900. Application filed January 30, 1900- Serial No. 3,320. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE H. L. SOHOON- MAKER and JOHN A. CANFIELD, citizens of the United States,residing at Danbury, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Forming Machines; and

we do hereby declare the following to be a' full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in hat forming machines, and has for its object to properly regulate the supply of fur to the hat-forming chamber proper, whereby the hat will be formed evenly and of a uniform thickness; and with these ends in view our invention consists in certain details of construction and combination of parts, such as will be hereinafter fully set forth and then specifically be designated by the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this application, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating our improvement as applied to a hat-forming machine; Fig. 2, a section at the line to wof Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a section at the line y y of Fig. 2.

Similar numbers of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In hat-forming machines as heretofore constructed the roof of the chamber in which the fur has been disintegrated by the picker-roll has been constructed in a horizontal plane, the result being that the particles of fur were thrown upwardly by the picker against the roof and fell on the fur-apron very close to the picker-roll itself, the fur accordingly massed in a pile in proximity to the pickerroll, the result being that the subsequent operation of blowingthe fur prior to its delivery into the forming-chamber proper did not thoroughly separate the particles of fur and the latter were thrown upon the formingcone in masses, and accordingly a hat was formed of irregular thicknesses, thus necessitating the taking of unusual pains in the operation of felting, and even then very many bats were thrown out as seconds. Our invention aims to overcome these difficulties and will be best understood from the following description.

1 is the disintegrating-chamber, within which is located the rotary picker-r0112, and 3 indicates the feed-rolls, which deliver the fur from the traveling apron 4: to this pickerroll in the usual manner. At the bottom of the chamber 1 is an apron 5, carried by rollers 6 7, whereby the fur is delivered from the chamber 1 to the feed-rolls 8, which latter present the fur to another picker-roll 9 in an auxiliary chamber 10, which leads to the hatforming chamber 11.

12 is a matter-roll, which cooperates with the roller 7 in the chamber 1 to level down the fur preparatory to its delivery to the feedrolls 8, and 13 is the usual blower-roll immediately beyond the picker 9, which roll revolves with great rapidity andblows the fur into the forming-chamber 11.

All the parts heretofore mentioned are old and well known in hat-forming machines, and these parts receive their proper rotations in the usual manner; but we have not shown and will not describe in the present application the manner of imparting the proper movements to these parts, since this forms no part of our present invention.-

The roof of the chamber 1 is inclined down toward the picker-roll 2, and in the present instance we have shown this roof as formed of two portions 14 15, which join at an obtuse angle; but while we consider that we obtain the best results by making the roof in this manner, still we do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, since the roof can be formed 'in a single inclined plane, if desired, and the present objects of our invention thereby attained. As the particles of fur are thrown upwardly by the picker-roll 2 they will strike against the inclined portion 15 of the roof with a velocity sufficient to drive them in a direction substantially parallel with such roof portion until they lose their momentum immediately beneath the portion of the roof 14c, and then these particles will fall by gravity upon the apron 5 throughout the greater portion of its length. The particles of fur falling in this manner upon the apron 5 will be evenly distributed, so that the action of the picker 9 and blower 13 will completely separate these particles of fur, so that they will have the appearance of smoke or exhaust-steam when delivered into the formingchamber 11. The exhaust which operates through the pipe 16 will therefore draw these particles of fur upon the perforated cone 17 in the hat-forming chamber, so that the initial formation of the hat will be characterized by a degree of uniformity never before attained, and this results in not only a better grade of hat, but in a considerable saving of fur. We have also provided certain means for controlling the supply of fur into the hatforming chamber, so that when the doors of this chamber are open there can be no delivery of the fur into the forming-chamber, while the closing of the doors will set in motion the instrumentalities for feeding the fur, all of which we will now describe.

18 is a reciprocatory slide-bar having therein an inclined slot 19, the extremities of this bar being loosely housed within supports 20, extending from the frame 21 of the machine. Connected to one end of the slide-bar by means of a universal joint is a rod 22, the other end of this rod being hinged to a rod 23, fastened to one of the doors 24 of the forming-chamber, so that it will be readily understood that the opening and closing of these doors will effect the reciprocation of the slidebar 18.

25 is a journal-box whose lower extremity is pivoted at 26to any convenient part of the frame, and 27 is a disk supported within this journal-box.

28 shows pins which extend through the journal-box into an annular groove 29 in the face of this disk, so that it will be clear that said disk may revolve freely, but at the same time will partake of movements parallel with its axis and caused by the swinging of the journal-box upon its pivotal point.

30 is a shaft journaled at one end in the frame of the machine, while the other end has a splined connection with the disk 27. 31 is a pulley loose on this shaft 30, and 32 is a hub which projects from the inner face of the disk 27, the adjacent surfaces of the hub and pulley being constructed in the usual manner common to friction-clutches, so that when the hub is driven against the pulley the latter will be practically rigid with the shaft 30, while the disengagement of said hub and pulley will cause this shaft to revolve, while the pulley itself will be stationary.

33 is a short shaft journaled at the side of the frame and carrying a pulley 34 and also a gear 35, which latter meshes with a gear 36, carried by the shaft 30, so that it will be clear that motion can be communicated to the shaft 30 by the revolution of the pulley 34.

37 is a pin which projects within the slide 18 and also within the annular groove in the disk 27 The pulley 34 is belted upto the powershaft 38, while the pulley 31 is belted to the pulley 39, (shown in dotted lines,) which latter is on the shaft of the upper feed-roll 8. It will therefore be clear that when the doors of the forming-chamber are opened the slidebar will be driven backward, thereby causing the splined disk to slide along the shaft 30, owing to the connections of the pin 37 with the inclined slot 19 and the annular groove around the disk, thus disengaging the hub 32 and the pulley 31, and consequently stopping the movements of the feed-rolls, so that the fur cannot be delivered into the formingchamber. When the doors of this chamber are closed, the various parts just described will operate to effect the revolution of the pulley 31, whereupon the feeding of the fur will be resumed.

Of course there are very many changes which may be made in the details of construction of our improved apparatus, all of which are within the range of ordinary mechanical skill, and we do not wish to be limited to the exact construction and arrangement of parts which we have shown.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the reciprocatory slide provided with an inclined slot and guided within suitable ways supported by the frame of the machine, the hinged and jointed rods connected respectively with the doors of the hat-forming chamber and with one end of said slide, the hinged journal-box, the disk provided with an annular groove in its face, the pins extending through opposite sides of said box within said groove, the shaft having a splined connection with said disk and journaled in the frame of the machine and carrying on its inner end a spur-gear, the short shaft journaled in said frame and carrying a pulley and a spur-gear meshing with the firstnamed gear, means for communicating motion to this pulley from the power-pulley, the pulley loose upon the first-mentioned shaft, said pulley and disk having surfaces-adapted to properly engage by friction, the pin extending within said inclined slot and within the annular groove in said disk, and the rolls which deliver the fur into the hat-forming chamber which rolls receive their motion from said loose pulley, whereby when the doors of the hat-forming chamber are opened the frictional contact between said disk and pulley will be broken, thereby stopping the delivery of the fur, and when said doors are closed said parts will engage by friction thereby effecting the delivery of the fur into the forming-chamber, substantially as set forth.

2. In ahat-forming machine, the combination of the feeding mechanism which delivers the fur into the hat-forming chamber proper, with means operated by the opening and closing of the doors of the hat-forming chamber Witnesses:

WM. SCHOONMAKER, J. E. ROGERS. 

